By Len La Rocca
Distribution Manager
Graphic design students put their creative genius on display at their senior showcase on April 7 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Art and Interactive Multimedia art gallery. The display featured work that encapsulated the students’ mastery of design, which they have been developing throughout the past four years.
Parents, friends and fellow students visited the 30 senior displays that were scattered across the IMM building, showcasing graphic design that ranged from album artwork to beer bottle labels and advertisements.
Students were tasked with formulating mock companies and developing a design aesthetic that would reflect said company’s values.
“A lot of the companies and brands are ones that we made up,” said Paulina Costello, a senior graphic design major. “We created the company and values and had to design around those values.”
Maria Reyes, a senior graphic design major, represented her skills by designing the box of a fake tea brand. The packaging for “Sweet Dreams Tea” was a dreary, midnight blue, while her “Rise and Shine Tea” box was a sun-like yellow.
Her showcase also included a drunk driving awareness display, which featured a vertical bar that transitioned from a cool blue with a blood alcohol content of .4 percent to a fiery red with a BAC of .31 percent, indicating that getting behind the wheel with this level of intoxication is a life-threatening choice.
Jim Capalbo, a senior graphic design major, showcased the design of a restored train, which offers a touch of history while also merging several generations of design.
“The whole theme was to bring back the old style into this modern touch, like the floating text behind the smoke,” Capalbo said. “Its cohesive, but still old.”
Sarah Chang, a senior graphic design major, designed a mental health app called “Healthy Vibes” and felt that the friendly, light pink colors she used in design reflected her personal brand.
“It’s supposed to be an app that helps you process your feelings and gives you personalized recommendations on what to do with those feelings,” Chang said.
Megan Hyjack, a senior graphic design major, designed mock covers for The New Yorker magazine and a promotional poster for a bar. She also designed an affordable, friendly airline promotion.
“I took their illustration style from (The New Yorker) covers and kind of made it my own by highlighting different things people do in the city, whether it’s commuting or sitting in a cafe before work,” Hyjack said.
All in all, the night was a rousing success, showcasing each students distinctive graphic design skills.
